Farewell, Herr Schwarz (FILM REVIEW)
Farewell, Herr Schwarz
Film Review
by Kam Williams
Descendant of Holocaust Survivor Unearths Family Skeletons in Roots Documentary
Although Yael Reuveny was born in Israel 35 years
after the end of World War II, her formative years were nevertheless
substantially shaped by events that had transpired half a world away during the
Holocaust. For, she and her mother had both been raised around an embittered
concentration camp survivor who had never been able to forgive the Nazis.
After all, her grandmother Michla’s entire family had perished in a
death camp in Poland,
or at least so she thought. However, there had been a rumor that her brother
Feiv’ke might have survived; but Michla lost hope when he failed to materialize
at a rendezvous at the Lodz
train station that had been arranged by an intermediary.
So, Michla made her way to Tel Aviv where, despite being plagued
by nightmares, she would marry and have three kids. Unfortunately, she was also
widowed at a young age, and eventually went to her grave still harboring a
grudge against Germany.
Meanwhile, her brother changed his name to Peter Schwarz, and married
a German gentile with whom he had three children. And not only did he hide the
fact that he was Jewish from his offspring, but he continued to live in
Schlieben, the town where he’d been imprisoned in a Nazi death camp.
When
Ms. Reuveny caught wind of the existence of another branch of her family tree,
she became obsessed with tracking down her long-lost relatives. That five-year
quest is the focus of Farewell, Herr Schwarz, a bittersweet
documentary detailing an attempt to reconcile a pair of siblings’ polar
opposite response to the Holocaust.
After examining the
divergent behavior of siblings Michla
and Peter, director Reuveny
devotes attention to how the pair’s second and third generations have adjusted
to life. It is quite a surprise to learn that Peter’s grandson Stephan’s dream
has been to move to Israel ever since learning that he is a quarter Jewish. And
by contrast, filmmaker/narrator Reuveny opts to settle in Europe,
feeling perfectly at home there upon completion of her labor of love.
A fascinating, generations-spanning
genealogical journey!
Excellent
(4 stars)
Unrated
In Hebrew, German and
English with subtitles
Running time: 101 minutes
Distributor: Kino
Lorber
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